The design and construction of streets, drainage and other improvements shall conform to the standards specified in Article III herein, except as follows:
A. 
Alternate standards. The Town, with the advice of the Planning and Zoning Commission, may approve alternate design and construction standards when:
(1) 
Such standards are prepared by a professional engineer licensed by the State of Connecticut; and
(2) 
The Town determines that such standards will be in accord with the purpose and intent of this document and the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends such alternate standards.
B. 
Other streets. The Town, in the case of construction within or in support of an existing Town street, may approve other or lesser design and construction standards as deemed appropriate to be consistent with other improved portions of such streets.
The following standard shall apply to the construction of streets:
A. 
Right-of-way. Streets shall have a minimum width of 50 feet for the right-of-way, except that with the approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town, private lanes may have a minimum right-of-way width of 30 feet.
B. 
Turnaround.
(1) 
A turnaround shall be provided at the closed end of all dead-end streets. Standards for such turnarounds are as follows and as shown on Exhibit A:[1]
(a) 
Radius of right-of-way: 60 feet.
(b) 
Radius of (pavement) travelway: 50 feet.
[1]
Editor's Note: Exhibit A is included as an attachment to this chapter.
(2) 
At the sole discretion of the Town and the Planning and Zoning Commission, the radius of the travelway (pavement) of a local residential or minor street may be reduced to a lesser dimension when deemed appropriate.
C. 
Width of travelway.
(1) 
Streets shall be designed with the following width of pavement measured between curb faces or from edge to edge when no curb is provided:
(a) 
Secondary streets: 30 feet.
(b) 
Local residential streets: 28 feet.
(c) 
Minor streets and private lanes: 24 feet.
(2) 
At the sole discretion of the Town and the Planning and Zoning Commission, the pavement width of all or portions of a secondary street may be increased to as much as 36 feet.
D. 
Gradient. The minimum grade for all streets shall be 1.0%. The maximum grade for any street shall not exceed the following:
(1) 
Secondary streets: 10%.
(2) 
Local residential streets: 10%.
(3) 
Minor streets and private lanes: 12%.
(4) 
Turnarounds: 4%.
E. 
Vertical curvature. Appropriate vertical curves for transition, including superelevated curves meeting acceptable engineering standards, shall be established on all streets and at street intersections to ensure adequate sight distance in accordance with the classification of the street. Except at intersections, vertical curves shall provide a minimum sight distance of 200 feet along the edge of pavement. Where any street approaches an intersection, a transition area, having a maximum grade of 3%, shall be provided for a minimum of 50 feet measured from the right-of-way line of the street intersection.
F. 
Horizontal alignment. Connecting curves between tangents shall be provided for all deflection angles. Minimum tangents not less than 100 feet in length shall be provided between curves on secondary and local residential streets and the minimum radius of curvature at the center line of streets shall be as follows:
(1) 
Secondary street: 200 feet.
(2) 
Local residential street: 150 feet.
(3) 
Minor street and private lane: 125 feet.
G. 
Intersections.
(1) 
New street intersections shall be at least 200 feet from any existing intersection, or other proposed intersection, or shall be part of an existing or proposed intersection. The minimum sight distances at intersections shall be as follows:
(a) 
Secondary street: 450 feet.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
(b) 
Local residential street: 250 feet.
(c) 
Minor street and private lane: 200 feet.
(2) 
The Town and/or Town Engineer may require a greater distance if, in their sole discretion, conditions of alignment, gradient and/or operating speed of the roadway so warrant. Streets shall intersect at 90° angles where feasible, but in no instance less than 70°. Where unusual topographic conditions warrant, the Town may, through written approval, allow modification of this standard. Intersections of right-of-way lines shall be connected with a curve having a radius of 20 feet. Edges of pavement at intersections shall be connected with a radius of 30 feet.
H. 
Cross section. Streets shall be designed with a cross-section as specified in Exhibit B.[3]
[3]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B is included as an attachment to this chapter.
I. 
Street name. Streets shall bear names which are appropriate to the character of the Town and which do not duplicate or too closely approximate in spelling or sound existing street names in the Town of Wolcott. All street names shall be subject to the approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission.
J. 
Curbing. Bituminous concrete lip curbing or equal shall be used under the following conditions:
(1) 
Wherever sidewalks are used.
(2) 
Road gradient exceeds a 7% grade.
(3) 
Road fills over five feet high.
(4) 
All nonresidential areas.
(5) 
Where required by the Town.
K. 
Sidewalks. Sidewalks may be required by the Planning and Zoning Commission for the following conditions:
(1) 
Within one-half mile of public schools and non-public schools specified by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
(2) 
Retail areas.
(3) 
Public bus stops.
(4) 
Within 500 feet of public parks.
(5) 
Where required by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
L. 
Guide rails. Guide rails shall be used:
(1) 
Where the proposed edge of pavement is four feet or higher over the adjacent ground and the side slope is 3:1 (horizontal to vertical) or greater within 25 feet of the edge of pavement.
(2) 
Where water bodies over three feet deep are located along the shoulder.
(3) 
At bridge abutments, utility poles, and other fixed obstructions.
Streets shall be constructed in accordance with the following standards and procedures:
A. 
Survey and field layout. Instrument surveys shall be made, maintained and recorded as follows:
(1) 
A center-line survey of the street shall be run in the field and suitable construction ties established to all control points. Stations shall be established to all control points. Stations shall be established at fifty-foot intervals and at all points of curvature and points of tangency. Offset hubs shall be provided as part of the center-line survey.
(2) 
A construction stake shall be placed perpendicular to the tangent, or radial in the case of curves, at each station on both sides of the streets and clear of all construction. The construction stake shall be marked with the station, offset to center line and cut or fill to profile grade as measured from a line clearly marked on the stake.
(3) 
A stake sheet showing the stations, profile grade, stake offsets and grades, and cuts or fills shall be prepared and presented to the Town before the formation of subgrade.
(4) 
Permanent benchmarks shall be established throughout the duration of the project and recorded with the Town throughout the length of the project at one-thousand-foot intervals or as directed by the Town. The datum for benchmarks shall be Town, state, or U.S.G.S. datum; an assumed datum may be used only with permission in writing from the Town.
(5) 
Grade stakes shall be protected and preserved until the construction work is approved by the Town.
B. 
Clearing and grubbing. The area of the right-of-way required to be regraded in accordance with the standard cross section shall be cleared of trees, stumps, brush, roots, large rocks, ledge and other unsuitable materials, except that trees suitable for street trees or buffer plantings shall be left standing as directed by the Town, or approved as part of the subdivision plan.
C. 
Preparation of subgrade. The subgrade will be prepared as follows:
(1) 
All trees and roots shall be stripped to below the pavement. All soft spots, peat, loam, organic material, spongy soil, boulders, ledge and other unsuitable material shall be removed and replaced by material conforming to Form 815, Section M.02.07. Where ledge rock is encountered, it shall be removed to a depth of 18 inches below subgrade and the area backfilled with gravel.
(2) 
Embankments shall be constructed of suitable fill material deposited in successive layers not exceeding 12 inches in depth after compaction; embankments to an elevation of three feet above free water surface at the time of filling shall be constructed of rock and/or free-draining material conforming to Form 815, Section M.02.07. No stone over five inches in its greatest dimension shall be placed within 18 inches of the elevation of the subgrade.
(3) 
The subgrade shall be compacted by distributing the hauling equipment over the area by the use of a tread type of equipment, or power rollers of at least 16 tons, or by other means approved by the Town. The subgrade shall be brought to a uniform surface to conform to the shape of the required cross section.
(4) 
Where rock fill is used, fill shall be installed in lifts no greater than three feet to the desired depth.
(5) 
The Town may require the installation of underdrains beneath the street pavement or in the right-of-way where necessary to protect the stability of the pavement.
D. 
Rolled gravel base course. The rolled gravel base course shall be constructed as follows:
(1) 
On the prepared and approved subgrade, a two-course rolled gravel base shall be constructed having a compacted depth of eight inches where the subgrade is earth. Where ledge or rock is encountered, the rolled gravel base shall have a depth of 12 inches. The gravel material and construction methods shall conform to Form 815, Section M.02.02, Gradation B. The rolled gravel base shall be constructed as per Section 3.02 of Form 815.
E. 
Processed aggregate course. The processed aggregate course shall be placed on the compacted rolled gravel base. The processed aggregate shall have a compacted depth of six inches and the materials and method of construction shall conform to Form 815, Sections 3.04 and M.05.
F. 
Binder course. The binder course shall consist of Class 1 bituminous concrete placed on the approved processed aggregate base course. The binder course shall have a compacted depth of 1 1/2 inches. Construction materials and methods shall conform to Form 815, Sections 4.06 and M.04. The binder course shall be installed when the air temperature is not less than 40° F. and rising and there is no frost in the ground.
G. 
Surface course.
(1) 
The surface course shall consist of Class 1 bituminous concrete placed on the approved binder course. Construction methods and materials shall conform to Form 815, Sections 4.06 and M.04. The surface course shall not be constructed until all the utilities under the paved surface have been in place and backfilled through one winter season (November 1 through March 1).
(2) 
In lieu of waiting through the winter season, the surface course may be placed at any time provided:
(a) 
Continuous compaction tests were conducted by a certified testing laboratory during the backfill of all utilities and the compaction tests meet the applicable requirements of Form 815;
(b) 
The air temperature is not less than 40° and rising; and
(c) 
There is no frost in the ground.
H. 
Curbs. Where necessary, bituminous concrete curbs shall be constructed on the outer edge of the completed pavement. Curbs shall be machine-formed, having a cross section approved by the Town, a height of six inches and a base width of nine inches. The curb material method of construction shall conform to Form 815, Sections 8.15 and M.04.01. Where driveways exist or are planned, depressed curbing must be installed.
I. 
Slopes. Cut or fill slopes beyond the sidewalk area shall not exceed one foot of rise or fall for each three feet of horizontal distance, but the Mayor may require a variation in the degree of slope to whatever extent is necessary to maintain the stability of the bank under the particular conditions. All earth surfaces of slopes and other disturbed areas shall be covered with a minimum of four inches of topsoil and suitably seeded or planted to prevent soil erosion. The Town may require the removal or lowering of embankments adjacent to street intersections in order to assure adequate sight distance at the intersection. No cut or fill sections beyond the right-of-way shall extend into property outside the subdivision or property not owned by the applicant, unless appropriate slope rights are obtained for the Town; in the absence of such slope rights, appropriate retaining walls shall be constructed within the subdivision to prevent encroachment upon adjoining property.
J. 
Guide rails. Guide rails shall consist of metal beam rails, shall conform to Form 815, Section M.10.02, and shall be installed in accordance with Form 815, Section 9.10. Metal beam anchorages shall conform to Section 9.11 of Form 815.
K. 
Site clean-up. All large rocks, boulders, felled trees, stumps and brush shall be removed from the street right-of-way and shall be deposited and suitably covered at an approved location on the property.
Storm drainage for streets shall be planned and designed in accordance with the following standards:
A. 
General.
(1) 
Storm drainage systems shall be designed by a qualified professional civil engineer, licensed by the State of Connecticut, and reviewed and approved by the Town.
(2) 
Unless otherwise approved by the Town, roads and driveways shall be designed so that there will be no discharge of storm drainage to the travel surface of an existing or proposed road, nor into the immediate area of a water supply well or sewage system. Surface drainage shall not be permitted to discharge directly to adjacent land without a drainage easement. The minimum drainage easement width is 20 feet.
(3) 
Where a new project has frontage on an existing road, sufficient improvements shall be made by the developer in the road to ensure proper channeling of gutter flows, and existing drainage deficiencies shall be corrected to control erosion, flooding and other hazards.
B. 
Culvert design. The following average storm return frequencies shall be the minimum standard used for drainage designs:
(1) 
Ten-year: all enclosed drainage within roads, from catch basins to outlets, etc.
(2) 
Twenty-five-year: all through culverts under roadways, for streams, and swales, and ditches.
(3) 
Fifty-year: major streams with watersheds of between one square mile and 10 square miles.
(4) 
One-hundred-year: all bridges in general, or all culverts in particular which are major waterways, rivers, etc., which are subject to seasonal flooding, and as otherwise determined by the Town, or with watersheds larger than 10 square miles, plus cross culverts on dead-end roads.
C. 
Discharge. The discharge of all stormwater shall be into suitable streams or rivers or into Town drains of adequate capacity. In subdivisions and property adjoining the proposed subdivision, proper easements and discharge rights shall be secured by the applicant for the Town before approval of the final map and acceptance of the drainage plan unless such discharge is into an established watercourse. Where the existing watercourse and/or Town storm drain system is inadequate, it shall be the responsibility of the developer to upgrade the facility at no cost to the Town.
D. 
Design standards.
(1) 
The Rational Method may be used to design drainage systems serving watersheds of less than 100 acres, except where detention basins are required. The Natural Resources Conservation Service hydrology methods (TR-55, TR-20) shall be used for watershed of over 100 acres and all detention basins.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
(2) 
The minimum size of storm drains shall be 15 inches in diameter. The minimum size of culverts shall be 18 inches in diameter. All culverts shall have a flared end or headwall at the inlet and outlet. Storm drain pipes shall be designed to flow without surcharge for the specified storm frequency, using the Manning Equation. The minimum slope of pipe is 0.5%.
(3) 
The size of culverts shall be determined in accordance with the Federal Highway Administration Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 5, and the outlet control should be checked.
(4) 
The maximum distance between manholes or catch basins on curbed roads shall be 300 feet. Double catch basins with curbs must be provided at all sag vertical curves. Catch basins shall also be provided to serve intersections, turnarounds, and high-pedestrian-use areas as determined by the Town. All catch basins shall have sediment sumps.
(5) 
Open channels may be permitted at the discretion of the Town. The size of the waterway shall be sufficient in size to convey the peak discharge of a design storm with a twenty-five-year return-frequency, except for large watersheds which require greater flows. The channel shall be suitably stabilized against erosion. The sides shall have a maximum slope of two feet horizontal to one foot vertical and topsoiled and seeded or otherwise stabilized as indicated on approved plans.
(6) 
All pipes shall have 30 inches of cover, except where waived by the Town.
(7) 
The allowable headwater at culverts shall be 18 inches below the road crown, except that it shall not inundate upstream private property without proper land rights.
(8) 
All channels, riprap, siltation basins, and related soil erosion control measures shall be designed in accordance with the DEEP Guidelines for Erosion and Sediment Control.
(9) 
All storm drains shall outlet to a riprap sediment trap designed to collect road sand and debris at the point of discharge.
Storm drainage shall be constructed in accordance with the following standards:
A. 
Pipe. All storm drainage pipe shall be Class 4 reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) and shall conform to the requirements of Form 815, Section 6.51. Where water is encountered in the pipe trenches, or where the Town shall direct the installation of underdrains, the pipe shall be perforated ACCMP, perforated aluminum pipe, or perforated PVC or CPP and shall conform to the requirements of Form 815, Section 7.51. In general, underdrain shall be installed on the uphill side of the road.
B. 
Methods. Storm drainage pipe shall be laid in accordance with the following procedures:
(1) 
Prior to laying pipe, the trench shall be excavated to the required depth, the bottom of which shall be graded to afford a uniformly firm bearing for the pipe throughout its length. Where rock is encountered, it shall be excavated to not less than six inches below the bottom of the trench and this depth shall be refilled with bedding material and thoroughly tamped and shaped. Where the nature of the foundation material is poor, it shall be removed and backfilled with gravel or crushed stone approved by the Town.
(2) 
All pipe shall be carefully laid, true to the lines and grades given, bell end upgrade and with the ends fully entered into the bell ends.
(3) 
Line and grade stakes shall be set by a Connecticut licensed land surveyor or professional engineer and shall be maintained in good order until the work has been inspected and approved by the Town. The use of laser beams is acceptable for maintaining line and grade.
(4) 
In sandy, silty or other soil in which there is a danger of washing or cave-ins, the joints of concrete pipe shall be thoroughly wetted and caulked, or the pipe shall be installed with gaskets.
(5) 
All metal pipe shall be carefully joined and firmly clamped together by approved connecting bands which shall be properly bolted in place before any backfill is placed.
(6) 
The backfill around the pipe and to a depth of at least eight inches on top of pipe shall consist of bedding material, where the drainage pipe is necessary to serve as underdrain for the street or to control the water table, the remainder of the trench may be backfilled with bank-run gravel upon approval of the Town.
(7) 
Inlet conditions at all culverts shall be confined to a maximum headwater depth of 1.2 times the diameter of the culvert.
(8) 
"Modified riprap" conforming to the requirements of Form 815, Sections 7.03 and M.12.02-3, shall be placed at inlets, outlets, in channel beds at bends or curves as required to prevent scouring, erosion and/or siltation of streams and culverts.
(9) 
The inlets and outlets of all exposed drainage culverts shall be protected by reinforced concrete culvert ends, concrete endwalls, and, where necessary, appurtenant wingwalls. All endwalls shall conform to the requirements of Form 815, Section 5.06. All culvert ends shall conform to the requirements of Form 815, Section M.08.01.22.
(10) 
Catch basins, manholes, drop inlets, endwalls shall be constructed in accordance with Form 814, Section 5.07.
Where sidewalks are to be installed, as determined by the Planning and Zoning Commission, they shall be constructed of portland cement concrete as follows:
A. 
Width and location. Sidewalks shall be a minimum of four feet in width and shall be located within the street lines with one edge abutting the property line.
B. 
Concrete sidewalks. Portland cement concrete sidewalks shall be laid on a six-inch gravel base conforming to Section M.02.01 of Form 815, tamped and rolled, and shall be constructed of concrete four inches in thickness. Materials shall conform to Form 815, Section M.03.01 for Class A concrete and shall be constructed in accordance with Form 815, Section 9.21.
A. 
Street signs. Street name signs shall be installed at all street intersections in locations approved by the Town. Directional and warning signs shall also be installed in locations approved by the Town.
B. 
Monuments. Monuments shall be provided on both street right-of-way lines at the beginning and termination of each street and at each deflection or tangent point in between. Monuments shall be made of granite or prestressed concrete and shall be set in place, after all street construction is completed, with the marked point set on the point of reference in accordance with standards of the Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors.
C. 
Underground utilities. Electric and telephone lines and facilities in new streets shall be installed underground unless the Planning and Zoning Commission has determined that such underground installation is in whole or in part inappropriate or infeasible. Wherever possible, such lines and facilities shall not be located under the street pavement. The lines and facilities shall be installed after the street right-of-way has been graded but prior to installation of the base course for the street pavement.
D. 
Street trees. In those cases where street trees are to be planted as determined by the Town and/or the Planning and Zoning Commission, such trees shall be planted approximately 50 feet apart on both sides of any street, subject to variations made necessary by driveways, street corners and walks, and shall be located within six feet of the edge of the pavement. Trees to be planted shall be 2 1/2 inches to three inches measured six inches above ground and shall have a minimum height of 10 feet. The species of trees shall be subject to the approval of the Town. Where the trees may interface with utility poles and wires, the Town may permit the location of required trees within the front 10 feet of the abutting lots. Existing trees along the street which conform to these requirements may be substituted for new trees at the discretion of the Town.